In the finals of the 1998 World Championships, Ben Rubin faced Brian Selden in a match that showcased two starkly differest decks: Ben Rubin's Sligh deck against Brian Selden's Recurring Nightmare/Living Death.

Game One
In game one, Ben Rubin got off to a slow start, as Selden's Wall of Roots required two cards (a Mogg Fanatic that dealt a total of two damage to the Wall and a Shock to finish it off) to kill. By turn nine, Rubin was down to one land after using his Wasteland to destroy one of Selden's lands. However, Selden's deck never fully clicked, and Rubin was eventually able to clear a path with his direct damage, attack with a Ball Lightning, and finish Selden off with a regrown Hammer of Bogardan.

Selden 0 Rubin 1

Game Two
Brian Selden started the game by summoning a Wall of Blossoms on turn two and three, but a Dwarven Miner and Wasteland looked as though it would start wreaking havoc on Seldon's mana supply. Kept to only Green mana throughout much of the game, Selden was still able to use Survival of the Fittest to go through his library for Birds of Paradise, Uktabi Orangutans for Rubin's Cursed Scroll, and Spike Feeders to offset Rubin's consecutive-turn Ball Lightnings (who were kept largely ineffective anyway by Selden's Walls of Blossoms). Eventually, Selden was able to use Recurring Nightmare to bring a Verdant Force (that had earlier been discarded for Survival of the Fittest) into play, and Rubin conceded shortly thereafter.
Selden 1 Rubin 1

Game Three
Rubin started the game with a Mountain and a Wasteland, and after using the Wasteland to destroy Selden's Karplusan Forest, never drew a second land. On the other side of the table, things were going much better for Rubin, as the Recurring Nightmare provided him with a Verdant Force. Shortly, Rubin conceded for the second straight game.
Selden 2 Rubin 1

Game Four
With his back against the wall, Ben Rubin had to win this match to stay alive. He started well, with a Mogg Fanatic and Cursed Scroll in play by Turn 3, followed by a Ball Lightning on Turn 4. He followed this with a series of small creatures (Dwarven Thaumaturgist, Mogg Fanatic, Ironclaw Orcs) on the ensuing turns. Unfortunately for him, the Recurring Nightmare lived up to its name, providing Selden with a Verdant Force, a Staunch Defenders, and a Spirit of the Night.

Rubin had no incentive to concede, since the match would be over as soon as he did. Selden was able to take his time, using Recurring Nightmare to bring a Nekrataal out, to kill Rubin's Mogg Fanatic. With Rubin's only remaining creature (a Mogg Flunkies) unable to block, Selden attacked with everything to become the 1998 Magic: The Gathering World Champion.